THE STORY of Zimmy’s Barossa Valley Produce dates back to the late 1800s when German couple Ferdinand and Bertha Zimmermann immigrated to South Australia.

After searching for a location that reminded them of home, the Zimmermann family eventually settled in the German-influenced Barossa Valley, where their recipes live on to this day.

Located in the heart of Tanunda, Steven Zimmermann says he loves being able to continue the legacy of his grandparents, who feature on the business’s official logo.

“For as long as I can remember my father had made these nice homemade condiments,” he said.

“Things like horseradish, beetroot, dill cucumbers, pickled onions and sauerkraut. 

“When I was around 20 years old, I said to my father ‘let’s just make some products for the locals’ – and from there we just started with a couple of local supermarkets in Tanunda.

“Our first products were horseradish, beetroot and dill cucumbers, and it’s still the same sort of recipes that were passed down from my grandparents.

“It was just a hobby, but it just kept getting busier and busier until in 1985 it became a business, and around 1990 we went full-time and haven’t stopped.”

While tasty treats are part of what Zimmermann strives to produce, he strongly believes in the health benefits of his creations due to his non-industrial production methods.

“Sometimes with volume you need to convert the way you’re handling the product, but pretty well the recipes and methods haven’t changed,” he said. 

“We still use the authentic, natural way.
 

“I tend to believe in keeping the products as close to their full nutrients levels as possible, which you don’t see a lot with the modern way commercial producers do things.

“A lot of commercial producers will not have the natural way of processing – natural ferment is good for you – and even though it might taste good, you don’t get the benefits that should come from eating a vegetable.”

Instead of huge factories and production lines, the Zimmy’s operation consists of only three workers on his farm, with everything done by hand.

“The dill cucumbers are a typical product, because it just ferments, it cures, rather than gets pickled in a vinegar brine,” Zimmermann said about the difference in his methods.

"When it naturally ferments it turns into a lactic acid after it’s finished – and that’s very, very good for your whole digestive system. Cucumbers are known to rehydrate the body.
 

As well as their primary natural produce – which Zimmermann said these days is gherkins, beetroot and horseradish – Zimmy’s also makes small batches of health products using fresh honey, garlic and home-made apple cider vinegar.

“Back in the early 2000s when I needed to do a food technology course I was looking at a different style of product,” Zimmerman said. 

“That’s where we came up with this idea about what my father had always had – apple cider vinegar, honey and garlic – so we made a product called Trinity, and that was in remembrance of him.

“It was all to do with well-being, and things that are good to give you vitality. Garlic is a bacteria cleanser in the body, so I figured if we were making these products for our own use, why not share them with the population?

“I do get encouraged by a few of our customers when they come in and tell us that it’s helped them in their lives – especially the Doc Away (combination of honey and apple cider vinegar) – where it’s helped them with ailments like arthritis, diarrhoea and chronic headaches.”

Another aspect of what makes Zimmy’s such a unique South Australian operation is how few local farmers are producing gherkins.

“There are not a lot of players (in the industry), it’s mainly all imported product,” Zimmermann said.

“There’s very few making anything in Australia like that, mainly because of the cost.

“It’s a lot cheaper to import the product than what it is to produce it here in Australia, but when you’re importing it you’re not getting that natural fermentation, which makes a huge difference.”

Zimmy’s products are highly regarded for their quality and are used at notable Barossa Valley restaurants, and they can be found locally in stores such as the Tanunda Foodland and Nuriootpa’s Barossa Fresh.

They are also sold both online (at www.gourmetgoodies.com.au), and interstate in both New South Wales and Victoria through specialty food store Essential Ingredient.